Tehran, January 13, 2026 — Iran International, the UK-based Persian-language network aligned with the Iranian opposition, has published an explosive estimate that the Iranian regime killed at least 12,000 people during the current wave of nationwide protests — with the overwhelming majority of deaths occurring on January 8–9, 2026, precisely when authorities imposed a near-total internet and communications blackout across the country.
The network’s editorial board reached this figure after a multi-stage investigation that drew on:
- Sources close to the Supreme National Security Council
- Officials inside the Presidency office
- IRGC insiders across multiple provinces
- Eyewitness testimonies
- Hospital and medical center records
- Reports from doctors and nurses on the ground
Earlier partial tallies from the same outlet had already reported ~2,000 killed in the 48 hours leading up to January 10, while Time magazine cited an expatriate network of academics estimating up to 6,000 deaths (excluding bodies taken directly to morgues rather than hospitals). The new 12,000 figure would make the January 8–9 crackdown the deadliest single episode of repression in the history of the Islamic Republic, surpassing even the 1988 mass executions and the 2019 fuel-protest bloodshed.
The regime has imposed one of the most severe internet shutdowns in modern history, reducing connectivity to ~1% of normal levels and blocking most international calls, Starlink access, and VPNs. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi warned as early as January 9 of a possible “massacre under cover of communications blackout,” citing hospital testimonies of hundreds of wounded in Tehran alone.
International rights groups (Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, HRANA) have documented dozens to hundreds of confirmed protester deaths in the early phase of the uprising (late December 2025–early January 2026), but stress that the true toll is almost certainly much higher due to the blackout and bodies being withheld from families or taken directly to morgues.
The protests — sparked by spiraling inflation, energy shortages, and long-standing political repression — have spread to all 31 provinces, with millions reportedly taking to the streets. U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly urged Iranians to “keep protesting” and declared that “help is on its way,” while warning Tehran of consequences for mass killings.
The Iranian government has not released any official casualty figures and has accused protesters of being agents of the United States and Israel.
This is a rapidly developing story with conflicting claims: official silence from Tehran, high estimates from exiled opposition media, and limited independent verification due to the ongoing communications blackout.
